St. Francis Xavier School
Private Catholic school serving Preschool (3 yr. old) through 8th grade
Art
As image bearers of God we have the opportunity to create and community with our world just like God creates and communicates with us. The bible tells us that “The heavens declare the Glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands” and that God created human beings in his image to share in the work of creation and tending to the world God made. As Christ followers, we believe that God is the standard of beauty and so it is also good to have discernment as we look at what is good and beautiful and what is not. Beauty leads us to Truth, and we need to have critical minds to understand what is beautiful as we understand the human heart. Part of studying art will be engaging our critical thinking skills and discernment to evaluate art.
I believe that the art curriculum begins with studying the great master artist and how God communicates through creation. Likewise, we also study how human beings have communicated through the art they’ve created through history. This year we will cover some major periods of art history, and students will create projects that teach the big ideas of art through the ages, as well as tools and techniques used to create art.
Students will study Ancient, Classical, Renaissance, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Pop Art and Contemporary Art. Students will learn certain skills, and also have the freedom to add their own creative touch to art projects. As we make our way through human history, we will create art projects using elements of art and principles of design so that students have the language and the ability to create beautiful art.
Young artists will focus on process art and how to use art supplies. Middle grades will build on those skills as they create more complex art. Middle school students will be keeping a sketchbook log to study specific art skills as they work through the year, and will have the opportunity to create more complex projects. I look forward to having a great year at St. Francis!
—Katie Coons, Art Teacher